Aero's plans take off

Aero, a Polish producer of light aircraft for basic training and tourism, will soon launch production of its light-sport aircraft at a newly opened facility in Mielec. At first, the firm plans to complete five planes a month. "Production will start around mid-July," Aero vice president Marcin Łukasiewicz told WBJ. He added that the final section of the facility, the spray painting section, would soon be ready.

Construction of the 2,400-sqm assembly and research facility in Mielec began last year and cost approximately zł.5.4 million. The facility will enable Aero to launch mass production of its AT-3 plane for the US and European markets.

The AT-3 is a light-sport aircraft, an American classification of aircraft with a maximum gross takeoff weight of up to 600 kg.

The company hopes to draw customers with the price-to-quality ratio of its product. "We want to be the 'Mercedes' of the branch," Łukasiewicz declared last year.

Grzegorz Sobczak, editor-in- chief of Skrzydlata Polska, an aviation industry publication, said that if the company organized the appropriate support service abroad, then it would have the potential to succeed and build a strong reputation in the US for the Polish aviation industry. Although Aero has already sold over 20 planes to the US, the weakening dollar and appreciating złoty may hamper the company's export plans.

"The impact will clearly be negative, but we hope to increase sales in Europe," Łukasiewicz said. He also pointed to growing demand on the Polish market.

Founded in 1994, Aero is controlled by Capital Partners investment fund, which holds a 32.5-percent stake. In January, the fund's representatives said that the firm could list on the Nasdaq this year.